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Bee plants for India

I am working on an apiculture project in a region called Araku Valley, AP,India where I am training tribes women to become beekeeper . We are working with the local specie Apis cerana.

In this region we have 3 seasons. Monsoon: June to September, Winter: October to February, Summer: March to May.

The summer is a difficult season for the bees, it's really dry. Sources of water and food are not easily available.

I would like to find a list of bee plants that I could plant in this region (tropical climate) which are not invasive species and could supply the bees mainly during the summer but also all the year long.

Re: Bee plants for India

Hi, ApiAnon. I would think your monsoon season is the worse one for the bees to deal with.
Bees don't fly that much in the rainy seasons here. But I don't live in India so you know your
environment more than us here. So the best plants to plant I think is the canola, borage, white clovers,
buckwheat, and sunflowers. These are all summer plants. So far I like the canola and borage better because
my bees are all over them when they bloom. They can be grown all year long in tropical regions too. I think
you will like the canola better for human and animal consumption also.